Great for walk-ins and walk-outs and as a mid-layer climbing. It packs down into a tiny corner of the sac more easily than a ‘denser’ fleece like my normal R1s and the Pertex® outer means that snow brushes off easily whilst weight wise it is about the same. Arguably if you use it as a mid-layer then this is not an issue but then do you need the pockets (OR also have their Uber Layer jacket using Polartec® Alpha® that has zipped pockets but is a fair bit heavier)? Aprés climb it is nice to be able to stuff your hands into the pockets walking from the car to the pub but that’s hardly what the Ascendant Hoody was made for! Other than the bizarre pocket decision this is a supremely well designed hoody. If you use it as an outer layer then without zips spindrift and powder can accumulate in the pockets actually wetting out that part of the jacket as they are ‘held’ by the pile. My issue is that for such an amazing technical mid/outwear piece this makes no sense to me. Basically you have two hand-warmers without zips (the left hand one having a neat key clip/tether inside) much like a casual hoody would have. The hand-warmer pockets are the design element that I found particularly strange and I really can’t fathom what is going on here. The zipper could do with being a good 5cm longer for my tastes.
The chest pocket is a decent size but the zippered entry is a bit too narrow for my liking, again even with a light glove on it’s a snug entrance, with my normal light leading gloves it’s a no go. Moving onto the pockets the Ascendant Hoody has two hand-warmers and a chest pocket. At the cuff there are simple binding thumb loops though I found these a little snug and only really usable with bare hands or the lightest of gloves. If you look inside the shoulders you will notice that there are two patches of Pertex® microlight inside, these help the shoulders of the hoody ‘glide’ over base-layers and prevent that binding sensation you sometimes get when layering multiple fleece garments up. Shoulder lining and thumb loops all contribute to a great hoody. The cut of the Hoody is just right for me, nice and slim, no bagginess and long enough to stay tucked under a harness without issue.
Lets start at the top: the hood is a nice simple low profile affair with a minimalist volume adjuster at the rear which comfortably fits under a helmet.To my surprise it also fits over a helmet very effectively and without any ‘compression’ or interference with head movements thanks to the design and elastic nature of the materials. There has clearly been a lot of thought put into the design though there is one design decision that I find somewhat odd. A great hood that fits under or over (most) helmets.Ĭonstructed from Polartec® Alpha Direct® and a Pertex® Microlight stretch woven shell this Ascendant hoody is both extremely breathable, super light, and surprisingly warm. I saw an earlier version of the Ascendant Hoody at KORS back in July 2017 and was excited to try out the updated version for the winter. OR’s Ascendant Hoody builds on their previous ‘Uberlayer Jacket’ but has been designed to be lighter and more breathable. A super light hoody utilising the amazing Polartec Alpha Direct, the Outdoor Research Ascendant Hoody has become my mid-layer of choice despite a couple of minor flaws. Almost the best mid-layer come soft-shell I’ve ever used.
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